There is only one private hospital in Dublin which offers maternity services and that is Mount Carmel Hospital. You also have the option of booking for either semi-private or private care in one of the three standalone materity hospitals. If you want to go private the first thing you would need to do is book with a consultant obstetrician and find out what fee they charge (cost varies hughly from consultant to consultant), the cost of private accomodation will be the same in each of the three hospitals and it was around 900 euro /night (if you ring their accounts offices they will give you the up to date figure). Health insurance will only cover about 50% of the cost.

The cost of a private room in the Coombe/Rotunda/Holles Street is €910 per night and the cost of a semi private room in these hospitals is €713 per night. (From here) There are no other charges from these hospitals, though you may be asked to pay a booking deposit.

I'm not sure how much the Mount Carmel hospital charges, but I'd say they would charge at least €1,000 per night for the room, and there may be other charges as well.

In either case, you will also have consultant charges as well. As Canny says, the obstetrician charges vary from consultant to consultant but I don't think you'd get anything less than €1,000. Also, as a private (i.e. paying) patient, you will be liable for the costs of other consultants such as the paediatrician or the anaethetist if you get an epidural.

If you have health insurance, it will fully cover at least a semi private room in Coombe/Holles St/Rotunda. Your cover in the Mount Carmel would depend on the plan you have, but you'd have some form of a payment there.

Your consultant obstetrician will get about €300 directly from health insurance companies, but in many cases the bill s/he gives you already has this deducted. You may get something back from your health insurer as part of your out-patient cover, but you still need to pay the consultant first and submit the receipt with your other out-patient bills. The other consultants are fully covered by the insurance companies, provided the consultants are in the insurer's full cover scheme.

... the obstetrician charges vary from consultant to consultant but I don't think you'd get anything less than €1,000. Also, as a private (i.e. paying) patient, you will be liable for the costs of other consultants such as the paediatrician or the anaethetist if you get an epidural.

If you have health insurance, it will fully cover at least a semi private room in Coombe/Holles St/Rotunda. Your cover in the Mount Carmel would depend on the plan you have, but you'd have some form of a payment there....

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Consultant obstetrician charges are closer to €3,500 give or take a few hundred. That covers pre-natal, post-natal and actual birth. The health insurance will pay on top of that for the birth. This €3,500 will be tax allowable at 20% excluding anything recoverable under your out patient plan - likely to be max €750 under the top plans.

Most insurance plans (e.g. VHI Plan B upwards) will cover a private room but you will need to be seeing the consultant privately.

The Rotunda have their charges here and here. The other hospitals probably have them on their website as well. The second link includes what is covered by your insurance assuming you meet applicable waiting periods.

Can you not pay for a private room yourself if you are part of the public system in terms of care? I.E. Can you have the baby in the public system and leverage your health insurance to pay for the private room itself?

Can you not pay for a private room yourself if you are part of the public system in terms of care? I.E. Can you have the baby in the public system and leverage your health insurance to pay for the private room itself?

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As I understand it, theoretically you can. However in reality the consultants 'book' the private rooms for their private patients so that there is no chance of a public patient getting one.

There is no way that you will get a private room no matter what insurance you have unless you are seeing the Obstetrician privately. Even then they cannot guarantee a private room as it depends obviously on demand on the day you deliver.

As I understand it, theoretically you can. However in reality the consultants 'book' the private rooms for their private patients so that there is no chance of a public patient getting one.

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It is important to point out that private patients very often cannot get a private room. You would be better off going the midwife led early transfer home route. Brilliant care no cost and if u get into trouble the doc is called.

not sure if im in the right place but I couldn't fnid a medical forum......Would any one know the costs of going private/semi private in any of the private maternity hospitals in dublin?

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As as every one else is forgetting it. From memory, Semi private is about €270 + a couple of scans at €130 or there abouts a go and your health insurance pays the rest ie the semi private rooms.
Mount Carmel is about 10k all in, or so a relations of mine who forgot to renew their medical insurnace discovered when presented with the bill... Many recoment not going to Mount Carmel for your 1st child, if there are any complications you will be rushed into Hollis St. anyway!

Semi-private in Rotunda is 750 with health insurance paying for semi-private room and other costs. Private ranging from about 3,500 to 4,500 depending on consultant with health insurance paying for room and other costs.

It will be interesting to see if more people who would have gone private will now keep their money for after the birth and go for semi/public or a midwife led scheme.

We went private for both our children and glad we did from a health perspective (disappointed we had to as a result of the poor health service in Ireland) as it stands now we wont have a choice but to go public if we have another child.

So I think the amount of people using consultants will greatly decline as a result of declining incomes and redundancy's. I wonder will the consultants drop their fees, it might be worth you while asking the consultant?

Re: Costs of going private/semi private in any private maternity hospitals in Dublin

Go public or semi private in Holles St (any emergencies from other hospitals are sent to Holles St anyway) stay the min possible time and move to a suite in the likes of the Four Seasons where you'll get decent food, rest, peace and quiet as well as a local nurse. It worked well for our three.

Re: Costs of going private/semi private in any private maternity hospitals in Dublin

Abit out of touch with the costs but when we had our first, Mount Carmel charged per night & with VHI we didn't have to add too much to it.

On the last one, they had introduced a "maternity package" which meant we were charged for nights & services we didn't even avail of. We kicked up a stink as it was a new payment method & we hadn't been advised & we eventually got it amended.

But in just 3 years we saw a huge increase in their fees & that was a good few years ago

Go public or semi private in Holles St (any emergencies from other hospitals are sent to Holles St anyway) stay the min possible time and move to a suite in the likes of the Four Seasons where you'll get decent food, rest, peace and quiet as well as a local nurse. It worked well for our three.

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Can you give more details about this. How did you get a local nurse visiting? Was this something you arranged for yourself off your own bat? How do you ask to be let go "early"? What happens the rest of the healthcare coverage per night - do you loose it?

Sorry for so many questions, i have to decide which materity coverage I am going to go with over the next few days.

Can you give more details about this. How did you get a local nurse visiting? Was this something you arranged for yourself off your own bat? How do you ask to be let go "early"? What happens the rest of the healthcare coverage per night - do you loose it?

Sorry for so many questions, i have to decide which materity coverage I am going to go with over the next few days.

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Give a ring to Holles Street ask to speak to one of the Community Midwifes or the Early Transfer Home Team. They are two different groups of midwifes who will look after you from A to Z and if you run into any difficulties they will organise for you to see a doc immediately. Excellent service will cost you nothing!

Re: Costs of going private/semi private in any private maternity hospitals in Dublin

I had my son in semi-private in the Rotunda in Jan 08. I see from their website that the deposit is now €1200, double what I paid just over 2.5 years ago. I was on VHI plan B and so I couldn't claim this cost back. If it's your first child then I think it's probably worth it, as you will probably want to spend the full 3 days in the hospital trying to get used to everything and get the advice of the midwives.

Re: Costs of going private/semi private in any private maternity hospitals in Dublin

How do you go "semi-private"? Is this aranged through the hospital or through a consultant? if you phone up a consultant to arrange an appointment are you given the option of "semi-private or private"?

Re: Costs of going private/semi private in any private maternity hospitals in Dublin

In the Rotunda you phone the semi-private clinic and book an appointment directly with them. Don't know what the story is with the other maternity hospitals but i'm sure if you phone the main hospital switch board they could point you in the right direction.